To pass the time during my hour-long commute to Napa, I started developing OK Cupid tests. No one could be more surprised than I am, considering I've only taken three myself. (I totally aced the "Commonly Confused Words" test, by the way. That was satisfying.)

Anyway, I've got the "communication style" test and the "driving style" test in the hopper. Many more where that came from.

Also to pass the time, I've been listening to the radio without changing the station the second they start talking. So I caught an interesting tidbit about a study showing people who blog about their relationships are xx% more likely to stay together than those who don't. Now, I'm about as cynical as you can get about drawing hard and fast conclusions from so-called "studies." But I do enjoy exploring a theoretical question now and again -- as long as you don't take it too seriously -- and I can see this particular theory having some merit.

Anyway, this study also made me think of (e:Jason). (Oh yes, all you (e:peeps) are frequently in my thoughts. You have no idea!) Of course, I would have rewritten the study to see whether blogging helps people resolve whatever the natural path of their relationship might be. It makes sense you have to be honest with yourself before you can be honest with someone else.

I actually have quite a bit more to say on this subject (surprise, surprise!) but I'm having a hard time concentrating right now because I finally broke down and bought a CD for the first time in ages and it ROCKS! (Listen to my new usersound.)

I ended up at Amoeba tonight because I thought it was the free Dinosaur Jr. in-house. (It's not 'til next Tuesday.) So I salvaged the trip by finally buying Razorlight. Even if you've never agreed with my musical suggestions before, this is a must-have! Ok, if you insist I'll upload it to Gather (tracking number: 0047419001178863042) so you can give it a proper listen. See for yourself.

just to clear up any remaining confusion.

More fake tales of San Francisco. Conan tries to visit a Medical Marijuana center:

For reasons I'd rather not go into right now, I found myself taking the OK Cupid personality test again. I wasn't expecting or looking for a different score, but was still surprised when I got exactly the same result as (e:twisted,36664). Maybe there is something to these tests after all? Anyway...

Even though it's been more than a year since I first took that test and filled out my profile, I picked two of the same adjectives to describe myself (philosophical and observant). I was completely stumped to think of a third one though, so I finally picked "indecisive." (That should get me lots of dates!) I wish I could say that was just an inside joke, but lately it seems all too true. It's not that I don't like making decisions, it's just that I hate closing out my other options. And that's pretty much what a decision is, after all.

Which may be why I'm still squarely situated in The Window Shopper camp. Although I really haven't had much time to do any window shopping since I moved to SF, which is a crying shame. I was just thinking how a little recreational shopping could be just the thing to celebrate finally moving into my own place and getting all my crap out of storage and getting my life back instead of spending every weekend at Home Depot. (I still have a few more Home Depot weekends to go, but the end is in sight.) As much as I love my contractors, I'm really ready for them to go away. It's like having four boyfriends wake you up at 7am every morning for the same thing -- just not the thing you want right at that moment.

Anyway, in a bout of sleeplessness left over from the nine hour Italy time difference, I was trying on a few imaginary candidates for size. (Let's face it, there are always options. Maybe options you shouldn't exercise, but there are worse ways to lull yourself back to sleep.) In any case, my mind is running through the drill when all of a sudden I flash back to one of the OK Cupid questions. Something like, "do you imagine breaking up with someone before you've even gone out with them?" Of course I answered no. Well, in the cold dark of night, turns out one of the scripts my mind plays out is the break-up scene. I know that sounds terrible, but I guess I want to have an exit strategy before I get involved in anything. Sometimes there's a good reason for that, like if you're thinking of dating a coworker or a neighbor -- someone you're going to have to see every day even if things don't go well. Better make sure it's worth getting into, and probably smart to lay the groundwork to get out gracefully. But I think I do it regardless. Which might be a tad cynical.

I honestly didn't know that about myself. So much for my powers of observation, haha.

p.s. -- The Kaiser Chiefs were fucking brilliant last night (new user sound). The Good The Bad & The Queen are on tap for tomorrow and Arctic Monkeys on Tuesday. Maybe that's enough distraction for now.

First of all, Italy <hearts> naked people:











Now that I got that out of the way...

It's pretty freakin' gorgeous too. Just about anywhere you look is a picture postcard. Where else can you step out of the Metro station and have your jaw drop at this awe-inspiring site?


The origin of stadium seating

The coast is beautiful too:





Reminds me of another hilly location with a Mediterranean climate on the coast. You'll just have to guess where I mean. Some people might complain about the hills, but I think they're worth it.

Ciao.

I was looking for something to spice up my kitchen backsplash and ran across these ceramic tiles:









Maybe I could sprinkle in a few.

For your birthday present I'm shelling out $55 for the pleasure of seeing you. Jesus Keerhist! For that amount you'd think he'd put a few flowers [inlink]paul,38972[/inlink] in his hair, but somehow I doubt it, haha.



p.s. -- when I get my camera back I'll post some Italy pix. Ciao peeps.

of a San Francisco medicine cabinet. (No, not my medicine cabinet. If it was, I would reshoot this photo with better lighting so you could see the Romulan Ultras and Sour Punk labels for sure.)



ANYway...

I took a few other pictures too.





p.s. - wish you were here. (you know who you are.)

Just 'cause the week will go fast, I'm listing out a few options by date/time. For instance, if you want to do a dance thing, Saturday is probably your best bet. Or next Thurs-Fri on your own.

Fri
SFO 11pm (what airline are you on?)
Maybe a quick Driving Tour and/or walk down to Marlena's for a night cap

Sat
Pacific Heights Mansions Walking tour (11am)
Telegraph Hill hike (1pm)

OAK 8:25pm JetBlue (that's awesome! I thought you weren't getting in until 11pm for some reason. I take back my earlier comment, haha.)

Pop Rocks at DNA? ($7, 9-4am, the color is green, band at midnight, 375 11th St @Harrison)
Bonus - Look for us on their webcam.

Art Patch Benefit at 12 Galaxies ($15)
Spike's Vampire Bar (burning man camp) Blood Drive at Porn Palace ($15/$20, 9-3am)
Club 6ix ($7/10, 60 6th St @Market/Mission)

Sun
Victorian SF Walking Tour

Mon / Tues (since you'll be right downtown for the conference
SoMa
Union Square

Wed
OAK 11:15am (get you there around 10:15am)

Thurs
I will be at the Rickshaw Stop Thursday night but you can do whatever you want.

Fri
I have to leave at 6am to catch my flight to Rome. Wish I could stay longer, but I can't keep the Pope waiting, haha.

Whenever
My Neighborhood (Hayes Valley), Civic Center, Alamo Square Park, Deco Ghetto, Japantown
Embarcadero
Tea Tasting at Aroma near Clement
Marina, Chrissy field, Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, Sausalito House boats
Golden Gate Park, The Haight, Ocean Beach
Castro, The Mission
Chinatown, North Beach
Pacific Heights, Fillmore, Union Street
Nob Hill, Cable Car museum
Russian Hill
Amoeba Records
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Winchester Mystery House
Gay Bars

After Hours
Most places close at 2am, but there's always The Endup and a few other After Hours clubs. (Don't worry, you'll still be acclimated to East coast time anyway, haha.)

Well (e:peeps), 'tis the turning of the seasons. I know it's sad to put the green and gluten-free goodies of St. Matty's Day behind us - and far be it for me to end that holiday season early. But it's time to start looking ahead. I'm speaking, of course, about the upcoming "California Here I Come" Days!

Now I know California isn't for everyone. But if you managed to drink green beer last weekend, would it kill you to dig out that tie-dye t-shirt from high school and raise a glass of California Cabernet in the spirit of the holidays?

Anyway, whether you're among the dedicated CHIC '07 Revelers or just observing from home, here are some links to get you in the mood. (Or help you plan your own CHIC holiday...)

Culture
Art
Events
Music
Performance
Art & Entertainment Guide (All)
Half-price theatre tickets
Half-price theatre tickets available in advance

Museums
Asian Art Museum
Cable Car Museum
California Academy of Sciences, 875 Howard St
California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Lincoln Park
Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission St
Chabot Space & Science Center
Conservatory of Flowers
de Young Museum
Exploratorium, Palace of Fine Arts
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 3rd St @Mission
Vibrator Museum, Good Vibrations
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Mission St @ 3rd

Outdoors
Golden Gate National Parks
Maps of the Parks
GG Park & Presidio Arial Hybrid Map
Chrissy Field Bird Guide
Wave Organ
GG Park Map
SF Botanical Gardens
Marin Headlands
Bay Nature
City Stair Climbing
16th Ave Tiled Steps
Bay Trail
Bike & Pedestrian Maps
Night Rides

Local News/Events/Club Calendars
SF Gate
Indybay
SF Weekly
Bay Guardian
SF Magazine
Yelp
SF Station
Local Music Calendar
Myspace Music Calendar
Club listings by Date
7x7SF
Upcoming.org

Live Like a Local
Rainbow Grocery Coop
Neighborhood Guide
Castro Theatre
Red Vic Theatre
Amoeba Records
Mass Transit
NextBus

Shop
Flax
Wesfield SF Centre
Japantown

Eat/Drink/Music
Embarcadero / Ferry Building
Bargain Bites
Velvet Cantina
Aroma Tea Shop
NY-Style Nightclubs
After Hours
late night clubs
DNA Lounge
Laptop Electronica
Mezzanine
Mini Bootie

Seafood
Kappa
Weird Fish
Tsunami
Alamo Square Seafood Grill

Intensive Tourist Track
Free Walking Tours
SF 101
SF CityPass

Day Trips:
Monterey Aquarium (2 hours away)
Stinson Beach (45 minutes away)
Wine Country (1 hour away)
Alcatraz (it's really close, but you need to make advance reservations because you can only get there by ferry and it sells out)

Oh yeah, I got invited to this Saturday night. If we wanted to do the intensive Burning man track, this would be the place. Although we'd have to leave early to pick up (e:Hodown), so probably wouldn't be worth it. There's plenty of other stuff to do though!

See you soon!

p.s. - darn it, (e:hodown) why aren't you here tonight? I hope something good comes up while you're here.